Shop till you drop: Amazon lends its support to India’s handloom industry with this new storehttps://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/fashion/shop-till-you-drop-amazon-lends-its-support-to-indias-handloom-industry-with-this-new-store-2955925/

The store offers regional selections sourced directly from handloom clusters under a partnership with Development Commissioner of Handloom. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

On August 7, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the ‘India Handloom’ brand to showcase the government’s efforts to empower weavers and artisans. Sharing the same sentiment to promote the splendid art and rich legacy of India’s handloom industry, Amazon.in announced the launch of a new online store called Crafted in India. A dedicated platform for authentic and handcrafted traditional wear, you can now choose from 50 distinct regional crafts with over 4,000 products.

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How does it work? The store offers regional selections sourced directly from handloom clusters under a partnership with Development Commissioner of Handloom. This initiative has enabled cooperatives and master weavers across Kota in Rajasthan, Nadia in West Bengal and Bargarh in Odisha to launch over 1,000 selection. Just in case you are worried about the authenticity of these products we must tell you that all products are validated with government certifications like Handloom Mark/India Handloom Brand or by retailers, ensuring availability of genuinely hand-crafted products to shoppers.

Alok Kumar, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), said, “Amazon.in has been steadily supporting skilled weavers and artisans across three Indian states through their successful foray into digital commerce. Seeing their products come alive on digital stores like Crafted in India on Amazon.in, we are sure to make remarkable progress in boosting the sales of authentic handloom products in the country. We appreciate Amazon for spearheading this significant transformation of some of India’s old trades and crafts and preparing them to participate in today’s vibrant digital economy.”

Commenting on this initiative, Puneet Gupta, category leader, Apparels, Amazon Fashion said, “We see ourselves as enablers and are humbled to see weavers get online where customers can now find selections as unique as Illkal, Kasavu and Gadwal on our platform. This is just a start! Our aim is to gradually include every possible hand-crafted product.”